1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to measuring tapes and more particularly to a measuring tape housed within an ergonomically configured housing with a spirally wound spring motor facilitating the paying out and retraction of the flexible metal blade carrying the measuring indicia thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional measuring tape structure typically includes a housing containing an elongate blade of flexible material such as cloth, metal, or plastic carrying the measuring indicia such as inches, feet, yards, for example, wound around a rotatable shaft which is spring loaded. In use, the leading free end of the blade may be pulled from the housing a sufficient amount to expose enough of the blade to accomplish the desired measuring function. Upon completion of the measuring function, the exposed portion of the blade may be released and allowed to be retracted into the housing by the associated spring and wound onto the spring biased rotating shaft.
While the presently available measuring tapes usually function without fault, as the requirement for measuring longer lengths has required the associated housings to become quite large in order to accommodate the increased length of measuring blade wound upon the spring biased rotatable shaft.
In order to maintain the overall exterior dimension within the limits of the grasp of the user and to permit the assembly to be carried by an associated tool, for example, the spring and the flexible blade were longitudinally spaced apart. Such structure is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,521 issued Jun. 9, 1992 to William C. Clontz.
Although the aforementioned design was functional, the system included a complex combination of several cooperating gears and the use of a pair of spaced apart shafts for the expansion and retraction of a coiled spring.